2 men held in narcotics arrests

More than $1.5 million worth of crystal methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana have been seized in Chicago Heights and Harvey, officials said Thursday.

On Tuesday, Chicago Heights police found 20 individually wrapped 1-pound bags of crystal meth inside the gas tank of an SUV. The substance has a street value of nearly $1 million, said law enforcement officials, who called it the largest recorded seizure of the drug in the Midwest.

Antonio Camacho, 59, of Las Vegas, who is accused of driving the SUV, was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance, Chicago Heights Police Sgt. David Basile said.

On Wednesday, Harvey police arrested Herva Middleton Jr., of the 16000 block of South Ashland Avenue in Harvey, after raiding his home and allegedly finding six guns, ammunition, one-half kilo of uncut cocaine valued at $500,000, a large amount of marijuana, $20,000 in cash and drug paraphernalia, according to authorities.

Middleton, 51, has been charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, possession of a controlled substance, possession of cannabis, possession of ammunition by a felon and possession of drug paraphernalia, Harvey police spokeswoman Sandra Alvarado said.

Middleton, who Harvey police said was on parole for drug offenses at the time of his arrest, is scheduled to appear in Bond Court Friday in the Markham courthouse.

Camacho was being held Thursday in lieu of $1 million bail, Basile said. If convicted of the felony possession charge, Camacho could be sentenced to 10 to 50 years in prison.

Chicago Heights police arrested Camacho after receiving a tip that a shipment of methamphetamine, sometimes called "hot ice," was being delivered to the 200 block of West 16th Place, Basile said. Police set up surveillance on the block and when the SUV pulled into the driveway of a home, they moved in, he said.

After obtaining permission from the driver to inspect the vehicle, it was taken to a location where police dogs, trained to sniff out illegal drugs, indicated the gas tank, where drugs were stashed in a hidden compartment, Basile said.

Camacho's uncle lives in the house where the SUV was parked. He has not been charged, Basile said.

Chicago Heights does not have a major methamphetamine problem, police said, and they believe the drugs were slated for distribution in Chicago or other south suburbs. The SUV had Texas license plates, and Basile said the drug may have been brought in from Mexico.

The raid on Middleton's house, conducted with a search warrant, was the result of weeks of undercover investigative work and surveillance by Harvey's special operations police unit, Alvarado said.

The raid marks a change in the way Harvey police deal with the town's drug problem, Alvarado said. Previously, police concentrated on arresting street dealers caught peddling drugs but more recently, at the request of Harvey Mayor Eric Kellogg, the department has focused on nabbing major drug suppliers.